End of Semester Reflection

This class have been very informative for me.  I have learned about so many different types of technology as well as how to use it.  In addition, my confidence has increased in regards to my ability to use the tech.  I find that I am actually draw to use some of it instead of naturally going towards more conventional methods. I look forward to continuing my journey through the mass tech that is out there and finding things that are aweinspiring and motivational. In regards to the NETS for this semester: I feal as they I have made consideral progress.  1. I have learned how to further facilitate and inspire learning and creativity through technology that is available and how to find creative outlets that can expand lesson plans. 2. I have learned how to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments.  In combination with this class and Instructional Design, I have learned so much about lesson planning and implementation. 3. I have confidently modeled digital-age work and learning through my lesson plans and various presentation. 4. I have promoted and modeled digital citizenship and responsibility through my blog as well as my wiki. 5. I have engaged in professional growth and leadership by being an active member of the class.

Tech Comments

Here are the tech comments that I made:

Angela: http://angelarunte.blogspot.com/2011/12/reflection-10.html?showComment=1323817512235#c4481408877257830464

Drew: http://drewjensen08-drew.blogspot.com/2011/11/reflection-9.html?showComment=1323817679256#c7211428425811991608

Chelsea: http://chelseamarie731.blogspot.com/2011/11/reflection-post-10.html?showComment=1323821272605#c305911231104528427

Jodie: http://jodiecastleberrythoughts.blogspot.com/2011/11/week-13-response.html?showComment=1323821449995#c3611343637045941528

Tatro: http://tatro8.blogspot.com/2011/12/reflection-7-micro-blogging.html?showComment=1323821680462#c3251214614561807379

Reflection #12: Start-to-Finish Accessible Book Collection Opens the World of Classic Literature to Special Education Classrooms and Students

http://news.yahoo.com/start-finish-accessible-book-collection-opens-world-classic-150112304.html
As a parent of a special needs student who has been left behind on exposure to various things. 

I am really loving this!  I plan on trying to implement it with her and sharing this with her teachers!

Reflection #11: The Problem with Classroom Technology? Faculty Can't Use It

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/07/28/the-problem-with-classroom-technology-faculty-cant-use-it.aspx
How can our professors use the tech when the training that they have received is so generic.  The people that are runnng the professional development semarins need to provide specific examples and applications for the technology.  It is great to know how to work the technology - but a whole nother ball game when you know how to implement it!

Reflection #10: In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?pagewanted=all

even witih the use of technology - scores can still become stagnant and even lesson.  It is important to keep in mind the basics as well.  Technology is great, but is can also leave people behind, and allows for a greater probability of forgeting to building up from the base.  In order to succeed you need a solid foundation.  It you dont have that then no matter what technology you have you still will not succeed.

My Tech final project

My final can be seen on my wikispace: https://teacherjodee.wikispaces.com/

Reflection #9: The History of Technology in Education

http://edudemic.com/2011/04/classroom-technology/

This is a really fascinating article on the history of tech in education dating all the way back to 1650 and the Horn Book.

Everyone should read this as it will give an insight into where we have been and the leaps and bounds that education has journeyed through in order to get where we are at today.

This would also be a really interesting thing to show children as they try to grasp "the olden days."

JoDee

Reflection 8: Keeping up with the Jones'

In the early part of the 21st century there was a ton a research saying that PDA's was the trend of the future with technology.  This just proves how fast technology changes.  What are schools to do in regards to keeping up with technology while keeping up with shrinking budgets?

For those schools who adapted PDA's into their programs, they essentially wasted their money as the hardware quickly got passed up with newer gadets and technology. 

I am not sure really how to answer my own question, as I can barely keep up with my kids likes and dislikes as they change so fast.

Currenlty my daughter has a DSi, a Nook Color, an iPod, and a Laptop.  All of these were purchased within the last 18 months - costing a lot of money - and all are out of date.  If I am fighting to keep up with just one kids tech, how can a school district keep up with financially supporting thousands of kids as the technology changes in a blink of an eye.


JoDee

Future of Education and Technology

The following article states that "One thing is clear: the time has come for educators comfortable living with the Flintstones to accept the inevitable and "meet George Jetson!"

http://www.wiu.edu/thecenter/articles/thefuture.html

This is very true.  Our children and students are going to pass us up.  They have a natural connection to technology that we do not.  They have access to so much more information and tools, that we couldn't even have fathemed in our school days.

The time is here, we need to not only realize it, accept it, but imbrace it!

JoDee

Word, Excel & PowerPoint

Features that I use(d):
- Excel: budgeting, graphing, contacts database
- Word: share document as blog, make brochures, merging with other programs
- PowerPoint: presentations, video/photo editing, applying artistic effects

Student Projects:
- Excel: Analyze M&M Colors (count candy's and enter data onto spreadsheat and have them create a graph displaying their research) http://learntech.ties.k12.mn.us/Excel_Classroom_Projects

- Word: create a "how to" manual on a specific topic.  They will need to not only add words, and pictures, but links to other resources

- PowerPoint: students make their own story books and record them reading the stories as the pages turn


JoDee

NU Educators Panel

Questions I would ask:

1. What is your plan for integrating technology into the classes as the younger generations come into the school in order to captivate their learningn styles and the formats that they are familiar with?

2. What are your goals for expanding the education program here at NU?

3. How can we as students have an active voice in the processes within the Ed Program here at NU?

JoDee

Educational Blog

I found a really cool blog for special education teachers and using assistive technology.
http://nolimitstolearning.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-at-integration-projects.html
I commented on the idea of using the Wii and/or Kinect in the classroom, escpecially as an OT tool. 
This is a really cool way of bringing something that the students are fascinated about into the educational realm.  I know that my daughter would sure like going to OT more if she could play "video games" there.

JoDee

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy

Going through the revised Bloom's Taxomony that includes technology is very interesting.  I am glad that they did this as it is a step forward in progress.  As "the older generation" we need to keep up with the youngers in order to remain viable in their world.

Teachers need to be able to relate with their students, in order to do this they themselves need to be able to not only speak the language, but teach within the language as well.

http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom's+Digital+Taxonomy

"Caught on Video"

I love this concept of video taping students as they go through the year.
As I was reading it all I could really think of was the video's that my six year old is currently addicted to making of his Lego creations and the story lines that go along with it.  I will cherish these forever and look forward to watching as they progress.

As a teacher this would be a fabulous tool in communicating with parents and keeping them abreast of their students progress and abilities.  In addition, this provides for a visual tool with non-English speaking parents in order to keep them up to date on how their child is performing.

JoDee

I am making a wiki

Check it out....  https://teacherjodee.wikispaces.com/   

Reflection 7: Pic Lits - Check this out

It is really an amizingly moving way to teach about the various forms of english language




What? Pic Lits used to help teach the different parts of language, vocabulary, etc.
So What?   This could be an amazing and new way of integrating technology into the standard English lessons
Now What?  I look forward to using this as it provides for a visual representation of words.  I am a visual learner and this would have totally helped me to learn the various parts of speech.

Reflection #6 The Wires Growing Out of Our Children's Ears!!!

Does it seem to you like kids these days were born with wires coming out of their ears?

That is because they are so connected to the iPods that they seem to not be able to function in life without them.

So as teachers, why don’t we take advantage of that fact.  “The iPod Nano and iPod classic are more than just music and video players.  iPods have functionality that can be used in many different ways for teaching and learning.”

They have an amazing variety of uses of which include:  Lesson Plans, Audio, Video, Podcasting, Notes, Reference, Quizzes, As External Hard Drives

The following website has a vast collection of ideas and links to additional resources for how we can use these wires in the ears of our children to benefit them as well as our overall classroom experience.  I have followed the website link with comments from the blog in that I thought might spur your imagination and curiosity.

http://elementarytechteachers.ning.com/group/ipodsineducation

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• We use them for many activities, but the main emphasis has been on writing. I have taught students how to record and playback on the iPods.  They have recorded their story or writing ideas onto the iPods and then listened back to them when writing.  These little devises have been very motivating for reluctant writers!
• -          I’m having teachers around the building record stories to place on it (Art teacher reading a book with art theme, Music teacher reading on related to music, etc.)  We will create a listening center with a 5-way splinter so that a group can listen at one time.  We chose books that we have multiple copies of.  I am going to play around with creating epub books so that student original books can be placed there as well.
• -          I have been using Tar Heel Readers this year.  I downloaded stories in PowerPoint and then saved as JPEG’s and then they can be viewed on the iPod Touch.  I’ve also done word lists in PP and then uploaded it to Animoto.  I have the Animoto app on the iPod so those can be viewed as well…I need to get over to the IEAR Ning to check out recommendations there…
• -          One of my favorites is the Sesame Street podcasts.  There is a large variety of videos on different subject such as hibernation and metamorphosis.  The kids love them too!
• -          We are doing research with Pearl Driver and Word Magic and are seeing good results
• -          NCTM has Everyday Math apps available
• -          http://www.apple.com/itunes/education/  = App Store Volume Purchasing Program
• -          http://learninginhand.com   = Tony Vincent’s Learning in Hand explanation of the program
• -          …course on Google docs and created a Google site: https://sites.google.com/a/teacher.plymouth.k12.ma.us/elementary-ipads/

I want to further explore this – especially as not only a teacher, but a mom as well.

I wonder if there are classes that you can take that will teach you of all the educational benefits to iPods.

Hay – this is sure a wonderful argument for a kid to use on their parents for getting an iPod.

Reflection #5 Clickers are more useful than I thought

http://ctl.sri.com/publications/downloads/Teaching_with_Audience_Response_Systems_Brief_Report.pdf

I found this very informative study in regards to using “clickers” in the classroom.  The part that engaged me the most was the classifying of the teachers in regards to their usage of the technology in the classroom.  In our class, we were introduced to them, but I was unaware of the detail in which they can be used for.

So I went a little deeper in my research and found this resource from Vanderbilt:

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/technology/clickers/

This article not only give the gist of how to use the “clickers” in the classroom, but ways in which it can be used.  In addition, it provides multiple examples, videos of them in action, as well as suggestions and links to further resources and information.

I truly am intrigued by the extent of which these can be used in the class and hope that I have access to them when I am teaching.

Reflection #4 Keeping Up with Generation Technology

http://www.edutopia.org/synching-ikid

Here is an amazingly well written article about the struggles and benefits of teachers adjusting and accepting technology as a primary mode in which children learn.  In addition, it contains a list of wonderful resources for us to further look at and see how we can incorporate them into our daily lives as teachers. 

Teaching is not just what we will be doing for the kids.  All forms of educators need to realize that we not only need to keep abreast in the different models for educating children, but for educating ourselves and our peers as well.  We are a community that cannot become stagnant and still remain viable.  As this water that does not change, ebb and flow with the tides, we begin to lack oxygen necessary for life and growth.   

It is imperative that we all continue to keep up with the generations below us, as they will be much more technology savvy than us.  I believe that our main resource should always be the kids in which we come in contact to.  Let them educate you.  Ask them what types of technology they use and have them show you how to use it.  Then run with it.  You know that they already have an interest in it, so take that and make it an advantage for you.

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